Theresa May: Speech in Lancashire 1st May - Government World Magazine

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“Thank
you for that welcome everybody and it’s fantastic to be with you today here in
Lancashire. You know since the beginning of this campaign I’ve been travelling
across Great Britain, making the case for strong and stable leadership in the
national interest. With great cities like London and Leeds, Aberdeen and
Newport, to proud towns like Bolton, Dudley, Banchory, Bridgend, all across
England, Scotland and Wales I’ve been pleased to meet communities and that
reflects a very important truth about this election because on the 8^th
of June, every single vote will count. It isn’t about, it won’t matter who you
voted for before, it won’t matter who is traditionally that is strongest in
your area, this election is about securing the leadership we need for our country’s
future and every voter will have the chance to help Britain stand taller in the
world. Because across communities and communities across Britain, every vote
for me and my team will strengthen my hand as I sit at that negotiating table
with the Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chancellors of Europe.

Every
vote for me and my team will help to secure a better deal for the future,
because we are stronger when we stand together united. United as a nation,
united as a people working together for a better future. And I want to see
every community in every part of our United Kingdom, having that better and
brighter future. I want to see us build a stronger, a stronger more secure and
better nation for our future, and that is only possible with strong and stable
leadership and that is what this election is about. It’s about stability, it’s
about leadership, it’s about securing a stronger and brighter future for our
country. And that will only come with a Conservative government.

Because
we’ve shown that’s what Conservative governments do and if you just think back
when I took over as Prime Minister, immediately after the referendum there were
predictions of immediate financial crash, predictions of economic danger, but
infact, we’ve seen record numbers of jobs, we’ve just heard from Seema
[Kennedy] about jobs here in South Ribble, across the whole of the United
Kingdom we’ve also seen consumer confidence remain high, we’ve seen economic
growth which has been beyond all expectations. When I took over as Prime Minister
people said the country was divided, it couldn’t be brought back together
again, and yet what I now see, what I hear from people is a real unity of
purpose. They want government to deliver on Brexit and make a success of it and
when I took over as Prime Minister, what was needed was a clear vision and a
determination to deliver on Brexit for all people and that’s what we have
delivered. And that’s the security you get with a strong and stable government,
I think it’s what leadership looks like.

At
this next election there will be a very clear choice, it will be a choice
between strong and stable leadership under me and my team, or a coalition of
chaos led by Jeremy Corbyn. And make no mistake about it, the other parties are
lining up ready to prop up Jeremy Corbyn, you’ve heard it from the Liberal
Democrats, we’ve heard it from Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish nationalists. What
they want to do is actually disrupt our negotiations to frustrate and undermine
the task ahead and stop us from taking Britain forward. And don’t think that it
couldn’t happen, remember this, the opinion polls were wrong at the general
election in 2015, they were wrong about the referendum last year and as Jeremy
Corbyn himself has said, he was a 200/1 chance for the Labour leadership in
2015 and look what happened there.

So
this election will be won by real people casting real votes on June the 8^th
and we need to ensure that we are casting those votes for the strong and stable
government that this country needs as I say to secure that brighter and better
future for us. And it’s important that of course we strengthen our hand in
getting the Brexit deal that we need, the right deal for this country. But
Brexit isn’t just a process, it’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity, we have I
think a once in a generation opportunity to change this country for the better
and make this country truly a country that works for everyone and not just the
privileged few. And if we are going to do that, what we need to ensure that we
can do that is a plan and a clear plan for the future and it is me and my team
that has that clear plan. And of course part of it is about ensuring we get the
right deal abroad, it’s about ensuring that we get a good deal from our
negotiations for a deep and special partnership with our European allies. But
we get a Brexit deal that ensures that we take back control of our borders and
our laws and our money, so that decisions that matter here in Britain are taken
here in Britain.

It
also means striking deals so that we can export British goods and services
around the rest of the world. It means leading the world in standing up against
terrorism, it means also fighting against modern slavery and it means building
this country as the strongest and most secure country in Europe. But it’s also
about the deal and what we provide ordinary working people here at home. That’s
about building a stronger economy, an economy that rewards hard work, where we
create secure and higher paid jobs. An economy where prosperity and growth
truly are spread across the whole of the United Kingdom. It also means
providing opportunity for all, ensuring that we are building more affordable
homes, that every child has a good school place and it’s about building a more
secure and united nation. It’s about taking action against the extremists who
want to divide us but also standing up to the separatists who want to break up
this great country of ours.

But
securing that won’t just happen, it will take focus and it will take a clear
determination and it will take the right leadership in order to deliver that
and it will take a clear plan and a clear vision, and that’s what I and my team
have. And that’s the case that we will be taking, we are taking and will
continue to take out across the country in the coming weeks and I’m looking
forward to it. It’s a positive message about the future of our country and we
will be fighting a positive campaign and I look forward to going out and about
across the whole country, meeting communities, talking to people, hearing their
concerns but putting my case to them and as I say I think that case is clear.
It is me and my team who have the vision and the clear plan to build a stronger
future for this country. We have the plan, we have the vision, but only you the
people can give us the mandate. So my message is clear, give me the mandate to
lead Britain, give me the mandate to speak for Britain, give me the mandate to
fight for Britain and give me the mandate to deliver for Britain.”

ENDS